Army deployment urged to ensure river route safety

Staff ReporterTwo rights groups have urged the government to deploy the military on river ports and inland waterways to ensure safe journey of people who will travel home to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha and Durga Puja festivals.The National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR) and the Council to Protect Passengers Rights of Bangladesh (CPPRB) made the call at a press conference at Mukti Bhaban in Purana Palton in the city on Tuesday.They unveiled 12 demands regarding road safety.They called for imposing ban on sand-laden vessels during Eid and Puja rush, setting up check posts on waterways and close-circuit cameras at river ports and regular forecasting of weather inside the moving vessels.NCPSRR convener Ashis Kumar Dey said mobile courts should be set up to monitor overloading of vessels 10 days ahead and 10 days after the Eid.He termed the probe report on recent ‘Pinak-6’ capsize ‘defective and biased’. “The government should post the report on the Shipping Ministry website within 24 hours”, he added.CPPRB President Tushar Rehman, former member of the parliament Tasnim Rana, environmental activists Mohammad Shaheed and Ifma Hussein also spoke at the press conference.